Benefits of membership

The BAcC is the UK's largest professional body for traditional acupuncturists. We ensure the collective voice of our members is heard where it matters by liaising with the Department of Health, regulators, and policy makers. We also co-ordinate national PR campaigns to promote the benefits of traditional acupuncture.

As a member of the BAcC you will benefit from:

an exclusive range of services and benefits: we cover all your professional needs at every stage of your career, leaving you free to care for your patients

Professional insurance: 'Gold standard' claims occurring cover up to £5 million for medical malpractice and public/products liability. Additional insurance benefits:

24-hour legal helpline

professional legal protection up to £100,000 for defence costs

cover for additional therapies eg massage & reiki

cover for teaching

personal accident insurance up to £25,000

BAcC website practitioner search listing: the most visited resource on our website and the place for potential new patients to find practitioners

Continuing professional development: an established flexible CPD programme and a UK-wide network of facilitators to help you fulfil your commitment to ongoing learning

Regional groups: area networking, supported by the BAcC and driven by regional co-ordinators to meet your needs at a local level: meetings, events, exhibitions, speakers, practitioner development, etc

Member website: a rich resource to help you in your professional life, including an active forum, the latest research and news, PR and marketing materials, and details of regional activities

Marketing: promotional material for you to buy, specially designed to meet your marketing needs

MBAcC after your name and use of the Member logo: assurances of your high calibre as a safe, competent professional

Private health insurers: many now approve BAcC members and we continue to work with all PHIs, letting them know about the benefits of acupuncture and the quality of our practitioners

Working in the NHS: we can offer advice and support to any member wishing to work in the NHS

Advertising guidelines: the latest on the laws that govern how you advertise your practice.

Public relations: tailor-made advice and tips to help you deal with the media

Yellow Pages and Thomson Directories: promotion of your practice via the BAcC corporate box in these long-established and trusted directories

Maternity benefits: available to any member planning to have a baby or adopt a child

Pension plan:you can choose to join the Standard Life group pension scheme at a specially negotiated rate open to all BAcC members.

Ethics and safe practice: all the resources, help and support you need to maintain your standards as a BAcC practitioner. Our in-house lawyer can also advise and clarify on difficult and confusing areas of law and practice.Codes of Professional Conduct and Safe Practice: powerful statements to assure your patients and the general public of your commitment to running your practice professionally, safely, and ethically.

Practitioner support service: a confidential service to help you deal with patient complaints or any other difficult practice situation.

Please note that all the above benefits are available to Full UK members only. Benefits for Provisional, Overseas and Non-practising members are restricted. For more details please refer to categories of membership

Influencing public healthcare policy and regulation: we liaise with the Department of Health and other key bodies, working hard to raise political awareness on behalf of the acupuncture profession.

Public relations: our proactive press strategies result in regular coverage in national and regional press and broadcast media, and we encourage members to get involved on every level.Backing research: we offer support and guidance on research matters to various outside groups including the wider acupuncture profession, academic researchers, NHS workers, and the general public.

Funding research: we are the sole funding body for the Acupuncture Research Resource Centre (ARRC). Amongst other benefits, ARRC gives all members access to ARRCbase, a unique archive holding over 16,000 references on acupuncture and related practices.

The Acupuncturist: we publish The Acupunturist in house five times a year. Put together by acupuncturists, for acupuncturists, it focuses on anything and everything to do with your practice, including articles by members, debates on hot topics, news from around the world, legal advice, PR and marketing updates, research abstracts, regional notices.

E-news: we offer monthly email updates to keep you informed of all the very latest news from the BAcC. Please note that all of the above benefits are available to Full members only. Benefits for Provisional, Overseas and Non-practising members are restricted. For more details please refer to categories of membership